So whether you have a bare bedroom, bathroom or kitchen window, what are your options?

Let’s go into your lounge and take a look at your huge patio door or picture window.

You could go with vertical blinds, they’re certainly practical but where’s the style and beauty?

No, what you really want are gorgeous drapes, the sort that make your friends and neighbours drool with envy.

Perhaps you’ve had a price for these curtains in the past and nearly fainted, they don’t come cheap, but why are they so expensive?

To a certain extent it’s the cost of the fabric but the bulk of the price is in the labour needed to make them up, and don’t forget the shop adds a percentage as well.

What if I told you there is a way you could save 75% of the price, would that make a difference? You bet it would.

But where or how could you make that sort of saving?

The same place I do, at home, by making them yourself.

Before you say ‘I’m no good at sewing’ or ‘I really wouldn’t know where to start’, it isn’t rocket science, it’s just knowledge which you haven’t acquired yet.

Just think of the benefits:

Your money goes much further, instead of dressing just one window you can afford to dress four for the same cost;

You’ll have a huge pride in the finished job, and best of all you can have them now, no waiting around weeks, or even months, for your job to be made and delivered.

Now you’re thinking ‘ok, I’m sold, but where can I go to learn this new skill?’

This is where I come in, I’ve been making curtains for the best part of 30 years and now I’ve started to train others, just like you, in the art of curtain making.

Through my website I market a growing range of ebooks that detail, by way of actual photographs and captions, every single step.

But the best part is you’re not on your own, if you run into a problem or there’s something you don’t understand then ask me – try doing that with a hard-back book author!

And if that’s not enough then I’ll upload a video that’ll show the solution to your problem area in even greater detail.

With the power of the internet, my help and your resolve that you can do this there will be no stopping you.

Look through a magazine and decide what you would like and go for it, you won’t regret it.

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When you’re looking at those house interior magazines and admiring the beautiful window dressings do you find yourself thinking ‘wouldn’t it be great if I could have something like that at my windows’. Then you tell yourself not to be silly, they are way too expensive. But have you ever considered that maybe you could make your own?

Interlining adds body and insulation to your drapery panels… and it protects your fabric from the harsh sunlight and cold.

Plus, if you’re making silk drapery panels… interlining will make your silk look wonderful! There’s no question… if you’re sewing silk curtains, you must interline them for the absolute best effect.

Interlining drapery panels are very easy and I’m going to show you exactly how to do this. Plus, I’m going to give you some critical tips that will save you frustration in the long term.

I’m going to try to generalize these instructions so that you can apply these instructions to any style drapery panel… flat or pleated.

Step 1. Plan the cut length of your fabric, lining and interlining.

You need to cut your fabric to the finished length of the drapery panel plus the amount fabric needed for your bottom hem plus 4” for the top of your drape. This 4” measurement is a rule of thumb, but can be changed to your design. If you plan on a 3” heading, then change 4” to 3”.

Example of cut fabric length

Finished drapery length = 60”

Heading width = 4”

Fabric for hem = 8” (for a 4” double hem)

Cut fabric length = 60” + 8” + 4” = 72”

I will cut my fabric so that it is 72” long.

You will cut your lining and interlining to the finished length of the drapery panel less 1” plus 4” for the bottom hem.

Example of cut lining and interlining length

Finished drapery length = 60”

Hem = 4” (for a 2” double hem)

Cut lining length = 60” + 4” = 64”

Cut interlining length = 60” + 4” = 64”

Step 2. Hem Your Fabric as instructed

Step 3. Sew and overlock stitch across the top edge of your fabric to keep it from unraveling and fraying.

Step 4. Hem Your Lining and Interlining

1. Fold up the bottom edge 2” and press. Then 2” again and press. Sew along the folded edge to secure the hem.

2. Repeat for the interlining.

3. Lay the RIGHT side of the interlining against the WRONG side of the lining. Aligning all edges.

4. Pin in several places to keep these pieces from slipping apart.

5. Treat this as your lining panel for your drapery instructions.

Your Drapery Heading

Your instructions may tell you to fold the top of your drapery down twice. In the case of interlining, this will be too thick.

Instead, you’re going to fold the top edge of your drape down once… so that the top edge of your interlining is against the inside of the top fold of your panel.

If you’re sewing flat panel drapes, then sew the bottom overlocked fabric edge in place… you can do this by sewing a blind hem stitch, hand whipstitching or sewing a straight stitch across your drapery panel.

If you are pleating your heading, then follow your instructions to pleat your drapery panel.

You will not need buckram or crinoline to stiffen your drapery heading.

Then you remind yourself not to be silly, they are way too expensive.

But have you ever considered that maybe you could make your own?

Making your own curtains, or drapes, as they’re sometimes called can seem like a very daunting prospect, but with practice you really can do it.

With a little patience stitching straight lines on a sewing machine, or handstitching, can become second nature to anyone.

And it’s not just plain curtains, you can create lined, interlined, thermal or insulated, they are all within the reach of the beginner.

Other accessories include tiebacks, curtain headings and valances of differing styles such as pencil pleat, goblet pleat and pinch pleat.

Now that you’re thinking that it might just be possible what do you need to make it happen?

The first thing is somewhere to make them, a spare room is ideal, or perhaps a converted garage or basement.

You can erect a simple table and leave it up (you’re bound to have friends ask you to make theirs!), and the lighter and airier the room the better.

If it’s on the ground floor you won’t have to lug great rolls of fabric up or down the stairs. It needs to be at least 8ft x 16ft, or maybe a little less in length if you have somewhere to tuck your sewing machine.

Also make sure it has decent lighting, I use a strip light as bright as daylight.

The biggest piece of equipment you’ll need is a suitable table and a sewing machine.

My table is 8ft x 4ft, the biggest sheet of wood available, and even then it could be bigger, perhaps an extra couple of feet both ways, this is easily achieved by having a couple of drop-down hinged extensions.

Another option if you don’t have a spare room is to get by with a collapsible table which you could put up as required.

One of the easiest designs I’ve seen is a flat board and a couple of builder’s trestles to rest it on, but this isn’t really ideal.

The dining room table is probably the worst choice, although it’s big and flat you can’t stick pins into it and it certainly isn’t big enough to measure your fabric on.

If you have no choice measure your fabric out on the floor, you can even make your curtains on the floor but oh, your poor back and knees!

Your table needs to be covered in curtain interlining and topped off with curtain lining, this gives a firm but soft surface.

I have two sewing machines, one small commercial machine which is perfectly capable of handling most fabrics but will struggle with thicker fabrics, and an industrial machine.

An industrial machine can be bought pre-owned if necessary, they really are built to last.

Other smaller items are a steam iron, cottons, needles and glass-headed pins and a tape and ruler. A weight, or clamps, are also useful.

If you have any experience with fabrics, either mending your spouse’s clothing or perhaps even making clothing, then it’s quite easy to build on that experience.

A good source of information can be found in books or the internet, some resources, of course, go into more detail than others, more help on a personal level can be found on the internet.

If you’ve never sat behind a sewing machine though don’t worry, curtains are straight lines after all!

A certain amount of dexterity can be useful as there is some hand-stitching involved in the better quality curtains.

If you don’t have a lot of experience with a sewing machine then it’s a good idea to practice runs on a piece of fabric which you’ve drawn straight lines on. This will help you to gain experience as well as confidence.

Probably your best skill is going to be patience and the ability to follow instructions. With these qualities beautiful curtain and drapery creations can easily be within your grasp.

See you in the sewing room.

Regular Fabric Pattern

The regular fabric pattern, sometimes referred to as the normal fabric pattern, is the most common.  The material is woven so the upright images are parallel to the bolt of cloth and perpendicular to the edge of the cloth.  These patterns are best for making clothes and longer more narrow objects such as curtains.

The images are oriented in an upright position along the length of the material:

•·          If this was being used for curtains or clothing, you could make them as long as you wish – a good application.

•·          If you were covering a couch for example, this regular fabric pattern would leave you with unwanted seams along the “front of the back” and “back of the back” of the couch – not the best choice.

Railroaded Fabric Pattern

This fabric is woven with the upright images oriented perpendicular to the bolt and parallel to the edge of the cloth.  The Railroaded Fabric Pattern is designed for material that will be covering large horizontal areas.  It can often times be found in extra wide widths allowing for coverage of furniture or for making sheets for beds.  The Railroaded Fabric Pattern eliminates or minimizes seams in the finished product.  It also makes for a more professional look and will generally take less material than the regular pattern covering the same large area.

The images are now oriented in an upright position along the width of the material:

•·          If this was being used for curtains or clothing, depending on the width of the bolt, the material may be too short – leading to wasted material and difficult seam matching.

•·          If you were covering the couch in the previous example, this pattern allows you to cover the entire “front of the back” or “back of the back” with no seams – a good choice.

•·          If the width of the material is sufficient, (extra-wide), you could use this railroad fabric pattern to make seamless bed sheets.

 

Tossed Repeat Fabric Pattern

The Tossed Repeat Fabric Pattern is more versatile than the regular fabric pattern or the railroad fabric pattern.  This pattern has images or shapes, (often times geometrical), in a repeating pattern that is multi-directional and not necessarily oriented to how the material comes off of the bolt.  Generally, this pattern can be arranged in a horizontal or vertical direction with little regard to direction.  Some exceptions are if the material has a woven nap or lay of fabric direction.  One of the more obvious is velvet.  In those cases you will still need to consider the direction of the “grain” for a good match and look.

In this case the images or shapes are oriented in various directions with no specific “top-to-bottom” orientation.  Pretty much which ever direction you turn the fabric, some of the images will be upright, some will be upside-down, and others will be facing left, right and in some cases diagonally across the fabric:

•·          The primary considerations for the tossed repeat fabric pattern are whether the width is sufficient to support the intended use and, if there are to be seams, how easy will it be to match them up with the pattern.

Other considerations when selecting the direction of fabric patterns:

•·          In virtually all cases the fabric width is fixed regardless of pattern direction or arrangement.  This width is the dimension of the fabric as it was woven at the factory and mounted onto the bolt.  It is important to ensure you are purchasing a width suitable for your project.

•·          Another factor to consider is how often a pattern repeats itself.  Patterns typically repeat themselves in increments of three inches, i.e. 3, 6, 9, 12, up to a maximum repeat rate of 27 inches.  A very small pattern might repeat itself every three inches, a medium may repeat every 15 inches, and a larger pattern may repeat every 24 inches.  A “pattern-size-to-repeat-rate” is not a hard and fast rule.  Many smaller patterns have separation between repeats much greater than three or six inches.  Of course, by design larger patterns will require a greater separation between repeats.

I hope this article has been informative and helps you to have a more successful and enjoyable project.  Happy stitching!

To see some pictures of the various patterns with their descriptions click here.